Deal reached on family caregiver benefits
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Apr 19, 2010 16:36:46 EDT
People caring for severely disabled veterans would be eligible for a host of new benefits — including payment for some — under a compromise reached between key congressional committees, the Veterans Affairs Department and the White House.
The agreement, supported by major military and veterans groups, proposes training, education, counseling and mental health services for the primary caregivers of veterans whose disabilities are so great that they likely would be institutionalized if a friend or family member was not providing daily care.
It also proposes full-day in-home respite care for veterans so caregivers can take a break.
For the live-in caregivers of severely disabled Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, the agreement provides VA health care for those who do not have other health insurance and a monthly living stipend to compensate them for what it would cost VA to provide similar care by contract.
read more here
Deal reached on family caregiver benefits
Monday, April 19, 2010
Suspect shoots 3 at Parkwest Medical Center in Knoxville, kills self
Suspect shoots 3 at Parkwest Medical Center in Knoxville, kills self
Posted: Apr 19, 2010 4:49 PM EDT
Updated: Apr 19, 2010 6:06 PM EDT
The incident was first reported around 4:30 p.m. at the hospital at 9352 Park West Boulevard.
(WATE) - Officials say a suspect shot three people at Parkwest Medical Center in West Knoxville Monday afternoon, then died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
go here for more
http://www.wate.com/Global/story.asp?S=12337008&hpt=T2
Posted: Apr 19, 2010 4:49 PM EDT
Updated: Apr 19, 2010 6:06 PM EDT
The incident was first reported around 4:30 p.m. at the hospital at 9352 Park West Boulevard.
(WATE) - Officials say a suspect shot three people at Parkwest Medical Center in West Knoxville Monday afternoon, then died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
go here for more
http://www.wate.com/Global/story.asp?S=12337008&hpt=T2
15 years later, victims, residents remember Oklahoma City bombing
15 years later, victims, residents remember Oklahoma City bombing
By Ed Payne, CNN
April 19, 2010 3:16 p.m. EDT
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: Homeland security chief joins survivors, local officials, others at memorial ceremony
"It felt like I'd hit a car," said Daniel Gordon, 37, who was about 7 miles from the blast
Teen, injured by bomb at 18 months old, goes on with life, rarely asks, "Why me?"
Two other victims share sense of destiny, aim to make a difference with their lives
Today is the 15th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing. Tonight, hear from the survivors and the people who lived through it. How has life changed, and what are the unanswered questions from that day? Tune in tonight for prime-time coverage beginning at 8 ET on CNN.
(CNN) -- Fifteen years ago, a bomb ripped through a federal building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in the worst homegrown terrorist attack on U.S. soil.
The April 19, 1995, attack killed 168 people, shattering the notion that America was largely immune to domestic terrorism.
On Monday, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano traveled to to Oklahoma City to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the bombing. She joined survivors, local officials and others at a memorial ceremony, standing in silence for 168 seconds representing the number of dead.
In a poignant moment, the names of each of the victims were later read aloud by relatives and colleagues, with speakers referring to their mothers, grandparents and others who died in the bombing.
read more here
15 years later, victims, residents remember Oklahoma City bombing
By Ed Payne, CNN
April 19, 2010 3:16 p.m. EDT
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: Homeland security chief joins survivors, local officials, others at memorial ceremony
"It felt like I'd hit a car," said Daniel Gordon, 37, who was about 7 miles from the blast
Teen, injured by bomb at 18 months old, goes on with life, rarely asks, "Why me?"
Two other victims share sense of destiny, aim to make a difference with their lives
Today is the 15th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing. Tonight, hear from the survivors and the people who lived through it. How has life changed, and what are the unanswered questions from that day? Tune in tonight for prime-time coverage beginning at 8 ET on CNN.
(CNN) -- Fifteen years ago, a bomb ripped through a federal building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in the worst homegrown terrorist attack on U.S. soil.
The April 19, 1995, attack killed 168 people, shattering the notion that America was largely immune to domestic terrorism.
On Monday, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano traveled to to Oklahoma City to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the bombing. She joined survivors, local officials and others at a memorial ceremony, standing in silence for 168 seconds representing the number of dead.
In a poignant moment, the names of each of the victims were later read aloud by relatives and colleagues, with speakers referring to their mothers, grandparents and others who died in the bombing.
read more here
15 years later, victims, residents remember Oklahoma City bombing
Andrew Pogany called "coward" courageously fights for other PTSD veterans
Once branded a coward, he fights for PTSD victims
By PAULINE ARRILLAGA
The Associated Press
Monday, April 19, 2010; 12:00 AM
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- They call him the angry guy now. Even his friends. And at this moment, on a snowy evening when he should be home, putting his son to bed, Andrew Pogany is, in fact, ticked off.
He sits with a soldier in a law office. The man has brought with him a pile of medical files, and another desperate story: Sent off to war to fight for his country. Diagnosed, now, with post-traumatic stress disorder. Yet the Army, the soldier tells Pogany, is drawing up papers to discharge him in a way that could mean no medical benefits.
The soldier confides he thinks about killing himself. All the time, he says.
Pogany makes sure he has his cell number. Then he copies the medical records, and recommends a book by a Vietnam veteran turned Zen monk. The man once helped Pogany through his own tough times. Maybe the monk's words will help this guy hang on.
Two hours behind closed doors, then a handshake and the soldier leaves. Pogany seethes.
"Disgusting," he fumes. "This is so disgusting."
read more here
Once branded a coward, he fights for PTSD victims
By PAULINE ARRILLAGA
The Associated Press
Monday, April 19, 2010; 12:00 AM
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- They call him the angry guy now. Even his friends. And at this moment, on a snowy evening when he should be home, putting his son to bed, Andrew Pogany is, in fact, ticked off.
He sits with a soldier in a law office. The man has brought with him a pile of medical files, and another desperate story: Sent off to war to fight for his country. Diagnosed, now, with post-traumatic stress disorder. Yet the Army, the soldier tells Pogany, is drawing up papers to discharge him in a way that could mean no medical benefits.
The soldier confides he thinks about killing himself. All the time, he says.
Pogany makes sure he has his cell number. Then he copies the medical records, and recommends a book by a Vietnam veteran turned Zen monk. The man once helped Pogany through his own tough times. Maybe the monk's words will help this guy hang on.
Two hours behind closed doors, then a handshake and the soldier leaves. Pogany seethes.
"Disgusting," he fumes. "This is so disgusting."
read more here
Once branded a coward, he fights for PTSD victims
Camp Lejeune ignored water warnings
Report: Lejeune ignored water warnings
Published: April 18, 2010 at 9:37 PM
WASHINGTON, April 18 (UPI) -- The U.S. Marine Corps denies officials disregarded warnings about contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, N.C., for years.
Thousands of Marines and their families drank, cooked and bathed in water laced with dangerous chemicals, The (Charlotte, N.C.) Observer said Sunday in an exclusive report. Citing documents, the newspaper said when outside contractors raised concerns base officials ignored their warnings or ordered more tests.
The most contaminated wells shut down in 1984, more than four years after the first of repeated warnings, the newspaper said.
"The kind part of me wants to say (the Marines) took a while to figure it out," said Mike Hargett, a contractor who had raised questions about the water in 1982 and 1983. "The unkind part says somebody was sloppy and negligent."
read more here
Lejeune ignored water warnings
Published: April 18, 2010 at 9:37 PM
WASHINGTON, April 18 (UPI) -- The U.S. Marine Corps denies officials disregarded warnings about contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, N.C., for years.
Thousands of Marines and their families drank, cooked and bathed in water laced with dangerous chemicals, The (Charlotte, N.C.) Observer said Sunday in an exclusive report. Citing documents, the newspaper said when outside contractors raised concerns base officials ignored their warnings or ordered more tests.
The most contaminated wells shut down in 1984, more than four years after the first of repeated warnings, the newspaper said.
"The kind part of me wants to say (the Marines) took a while to figure it out," said Mike Hargett, a contractor who had raised questions about the water in 1982 and 1983. "The unkind part says somebody was sloppy and negligent."
read more here
Lejeune ignored water warnings
Veterans reunion celebrates 23 years of helping soldiers
When you look into the eyes of Bill Vagianos you see a hero. I don't use that term lightly. He came home from Vietnam and became an advocate for all veterans as well as working to take care of Orlando's homeless. He could have served his time with the Marines in Vietnam and then did nothing more other than just take a job, but Bill ended up with a mission that still has not ended. He is still watching the backs of his brothers.
It's no secret how I feel about Vietnam veterans and Bill is one of the greatest examples of why I adore them as much as I do.
I am very glad that Norman Moody wrote this because there are so many people working very hard to help veterans and most people never hear about them.
It's no secret how I feel about Vietnam veterans and Bill is one of the greatest examples of why I adore them as much as I do.
I am very glad that Norman Moody wrote this because there are so many people working very hard to help veterans and most people never hear about them.
"The premise behind it when we started was never again will another generation of veterans be treated like that," said Bill Vagianos, the immediate past-president of the Vietnam and All Veterans of Brevard. "You may object to the war and the politics, but don't blame the warrior."
Veterans reunion celebrates 23 years of helping soldiers
Event aided Cocoa man, and he's been a part of it ever since
BY R. NORMAN MOODY • FLORIDA TODAY • April 19, 2010
As point man during the Vietnam War, Ken Baker kept a watchful eye for danger at the front of foot patrols.
After he came home critically injured and spent a year in hospitals, he withdrew. He stayed away from public places. He avoided being at the front of anything.
"I was a hermit," he said. "We did a lot of things ourselves. We didn't like crowds. I didn't like the grocery store."
It took several years, but Baker came to terms with his injuries and the post-traumatic stress disorder, building relationships with fellow Vietnam veterans, which eventually led them to the formation of the Vietnam Veterans of Brevard in 1985.
Baker once again became a point man of sorts.
Over the years, he has served in every role for the 300-member organization that in 2005 became the Vietnam and All Veterans of Brevard. This week, the group hosts its 23th annual reunion at Wickham Park in Melbourne, billed as the largest veterans' gathering in the nation.
Organizers say it attracts tens of thousands of veterans, their families and other visitors.
Baker, 61, of Cocoa said the idea for a reunion grew from those early days, when members of the group went to see the 1986 movie "Platoon." The reunion marked a turning point for Baker and others suffering from the emotional effects of war.
The group is working to get judges to understand and take defendants' PTSD into consideration and helping to establish an Honor Flight chapter in Brevard County, a group that takes World War II veterans to Washington, D.C. It also runs a yearly Stand Down, a one-day event to help homeless veterans with personal needs.
read more here
Veterans reunion celebrates 23 years of helping soldiers
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Sea of bikes escort Vietnam Memorial Wall in Melbourne
The Vietnam Memorial Traveling Wall escort was this morning out of Melbourne FL. Amazing to see so many bikes from all over. It was great riding through the streets and seeing people along the way waving and holding American flags. As usual the police did a great job blocking off the side roads so the parade of bikes could pass.
There is no offical count as of this post. The media didn't really cover it and since there were so many from all over, you'd think there would have been wall to wall media there, but I didn't see any.
There is no offical count as of this post. The media didn't really cover it and since there were so many from all over, you'd think there would have been wall to wall media there, but I didn't see any.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Two decades later, father goes back to jail for same crime
Jailed at 19 for shaking baby, Fla. father guilty again when she dies from it 2 decades later
MITCH STACY
Associated Press Writer
1:44 p.m. EDT, April 17, 2010
NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. (AP) — Soon after Christina Welch turned 18 in the spring of 2005, her biological parents asked permission to pay her a visit. Mike and Tina Wells broke down when the bed covers were pulled back and they saw the state of the girl: so severely brain damaged as a baby that she never learned to walk, talk or sit up by herself.
Maureen Welch, the woman who had adopted her, walked into the kitchen to leave the three of them alone, thinking to herself that it was good the couple finally got to see what Mike Wells had done to his infant daughter.
"I didn't know I hurt her that bad," he said to Welch when he came into the kitchen. He apologized and told Welch she was a guardian angel sent by God to take care of their Christina.
Mike Wells was 19 when he shook his 2-month-old daughter and covered her mouth to stop her from crying. He and Tina Wells were convicted of aggravated child abuse in 1989, and each served less than a year in prison.
read more here
Jailed at 19 for shaking baby
Vietnam veteran and captain with the fire department died
Kathy McLaughlin
The casket of Roosevelt fire department Capt. Vince Iaccino awaits burial at St Peter's Cemetery in the Town of POughkeepsie on Saturday, April 17, 2010.
Hundreds of firefighters mourn "a wonderful man"
John W. Barry • April 17, 2010
About 300 people - two-thirds of them fire fighters - turned out to Our Lady of the Rosary Chapel in Poughkeepsie today for a funeral Mass held for Roosevelt Fire Department volunteer Vincent Iaccino, who died Monday.
Iaccino, a Vietnam veteran and captain with the fire department, died of an apparent heart attack following a fire training exercise. Iaccino, 65, was president of Roosevelt Engine Co. No. 1 and captain of the Emergency Service Squad. He served in the Navy during the Vietnam War and volunteered with the Roosevelt fire department for 22 years.
"I feel very strongly about tradition," Roosevelt Fire Chief William Steenbergh said shortly before the funeral procession arrived at the church. "There is no more sacred tradition in the fire service than the line-of-duty funeral."
See more of these powerful pictures and read more here
Hundreds of firefighters mourn a wonderful man-
U.S. combat-wounded troops war theater to Washington due to volcanic ash
Ash plume over Europe affects medevac flights
By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Apr 17, 2010 10:45:55 EDT
A volcanic ash plume that has severely impacted commercial aviation over Europe also has forced the diversion of all military and commercial contract flights over the region, an official said Friday morning.
The most immediate effect is on U.S. combat-wounded troops, who are being flown straight from the war theater to Washington, D.C., without making the customary stop in Germany, said Navy Capt. Kevin Aandahl, a spokesman for U.S. Transportation Command.
One contracted commercial passenger flight has been grounded in Europe, “and they’re just going to wait out the plume,” Aandahl said.
He said he couldn’t identify the base, or whether it was carrying troops forward to the war theater, for operational security reasons.
go here for more
Ash plume over Europe affects medevac flights
By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Apr 17, 2010 10:45:55 EDT
A volcanic ash plume that has severely impacted commercial aviation over Europe also has forced the diversion of all military and commercial contract flights over the region, an official said Friday morning.
The most immediate effect is on U.S. combat-wounded troops, who are being flown straight from the war theater to Washington, D.C., without making the customary stop in Germany, said Navy Capt. Kevin Aandahl, a spokesman for U.S. Transportation Command.
One contracted commercial passenger flight has been grounded in Europe, “and they’re just going to wait out the plume,” Aandahl said.
He said he couldn’t identify the base, or whether it was carrying troops forward to the war theater, for operational security reasons.
go here for more
Ash plume over Europe affects medevac flights
Military Connection reaches 25,000 followers on Twitter
MILITARYCONNECTION.COM - The Go to Site Reaches 25,000 Followers on Twitter
SIMI VALLEY (April 6, 2010) - MilitaryConnection.com, often referred to as "The Go to Site" reached a milestone in its social networking efforts today, reaching 25,000 followers on Twitter. The event is a landmark in the company's history as it continues to act as a leader in the military/veteran arena, offering thousands of pages of free information and resources to military members, veterans and their families.
MilitaryConnection.com has something for everyone and is constantly updated to provide our audience with the most relevant information. Many of the site's thousands of daily visitors are job seekers or prospective students who utilize the multitude of employment and educational resources available. Students find pertinent information regarding the new Post 9/11 GI Bill, while job candidates surf our resources for employment in both civilian and government sectors.
MilitaryConnection.com is one of the most comprehensive online directories of military and veteran resources, and was named a 2009 Top 100 Employment Web Site. Debbie Gregory, CEO said, "We live in the greatest nation in the world. Military Connection takes pride in our continuing efforts to support and assist non-profit groups that help those who serve, past and present. We often facilitate collaborations that are win/wins for corporations, non-profits and most importantly for our military, veterans and their families."
Military Connection has received commendations and awards from USO, Soldier's Angels, TAPS, ThanksUSA, Homefront America, the Defense Department and many others groups. In 2008, Military Connection became a corporate partner with the Department of Defense's America Supports You program.
With all that it has to offer, it is no wonder why Military Connection stands at the forefront of the military networking crusade, continuously reaching further and encompassing more branches of information for the military community.
The site's Virtual Job Fair and Job Boards alone feature thousands of jobs daily, while the Directory of Scholarships lists thousands of pages of scholarship information for military, veterans and their families.
MilitaryConnection.com encourages military, veterans, non-profits and government organizations to exchange links.
Send YOUR press releases, articles, special events, reunions, conferences, etc. that will be included on our site to bring visibility and help get out the word about your organization.
When the next tour is back home, it's on MilitaryConnection.com – The Go to Site for everything military and veteran.
Register for Newsletter: HERE
Follow MilitaryConnection.com: Twitter
Facebook Send inquiries & link exchanges: HERE
Powered by Military Connection 250 East Easy Street, Suite 4Simi Valley, CA. 930651-800-817-3777
SIMI VALLEY (April 6, 2010) - MilitaryConnection.com, often referred to as "The Go to Site" reached a milestone in its social networking efforts today, reaching 25,000 followers on Twitter. The event is a landmark in the company's history as it continues to act as a leader in the military/veteran arena, offering thousands of pages of free information and resources to military members, veterans and their families.
MilitaryConnection.com has something for everyone and is constantly updated to provide our audience with the most relevant information. Many of the site's thousands of daily visitors are job seekers or prospective students who utilize the multitude of employment and educational resources available. Students find pertinent information regarding the new Post 9/11 GI Bill, while job candidates surf our resources for employment in both civilian and government sectors.
MilitaryConnection.com is one of the most comprehensive online directories of military and veteran resources, and was named a 2009 Top 100 Employment Web Site. Debbie Gregory, CEO said, "We live in the greatest nation in the world. Military Connection takes pride in our continuing efforts to support and assist non-profit groups that help those who serve, past and present. We often facilitate collaborations that are win/wins for corporations, non-profits and most importantly for our military, veterans and their families."
Military Connection has received commendations and awards from USO, Soldier's Angels, TAPS, ThanksUSA, Homefront America, the Defense Department and many others groups. In 2008, Military Connection became a corporate partner with the Department of Defense's America Supports You program.
With all that it has to offer, it is no wonder why Military Connection stands at the forefront of the military networking crusade, continuously reaching further and encompassing more branches of information for the military community.
The site's Virtual Job Fair and Job Boards alone feature thousands of jobs daily, while the Directory of Scholarships lists thousands of pages of scholarship information for military, veterans and their families.
MilitaryConnection.com encourages military, veterans, non-profits and government organizations to exchange links.
Send YOUR press releases, articles, special events, reunions, conferences, etc. that will be included on our site to bring visibility and help get out the word about your organization.
When the next tour is back home, it's on MilitaryConnection.com – The Go to Site for everything military and veteran.
Register for Newsletter: HERE
Follow MilitaryConnection.com: Twitter
Facebook Send inquiries & link exchanges: HERE
Powered by Military Connection 250 East Easy Street, Suite 4Simi Valley, CA. 930651-800-817-3777
Reminder of the violence that she survived
Virginia Tech Commemorates 2007 Shootings
Three Years After Massacre Claimed 32 Lives, Survivors Remember Tragedy in Differing Ways
(CBS/AP) Heidi Miller worked hard to ensure that her time at Virginia Tech would be defined by her academic achievements and experiences, not by the massacre during her freshman year that claimed 32 lives and left her wounded in 2007.
After a long summer of physical rehabilitation back home in Harrisonburg, Miller returned to Tech the next semester.
She is preparing to graduate next month with a 3.7 grade-point average, a double major in international studies and geography, and a minor in French.
She will remember many of the highlights, such as her trips to Europe and New Zealand.
Even though she believes she has done her best to make the most of her time in college, she is ready to move on from Blacksburg, a place that also has served as a harsh and frustrating reminder of the violence that she survived.
read more here
Virginia Tech Commemorates 2007 Shootings
Marine found dead in barracks at Cherry Point
Marine found dead in barracks at Cherry Point
April 16, 2010 1:36 PM
Sun Journal Staff
CHERRY POINT — A Marine at Cherry Point air station was found dead in his barracks room Wednesday, officials there said Friday through a press statement.
Lance Cpl. Daniel W. Sweeney, 20, of Coon Rapids, Minn., was assigned to the Marine Attack Training Squadron 203 (VMAT-203), 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing. He was found during a barracks inspection at 3:10 p.m. and was pronounced dead by emergency medical treatment personnel about 10 minutes later.
April 16, 2010 1:36 PM
Sun Journal Staff
CHERRY POINT — A Marine at Cherry Point air station was found dead in his barracks room Wednesday, officials there said Friday through a press statement.
Lance Cpl. Daniel W. Sweeney, 20, of Coon Rapids, Minn., was assigned to the Marine Attack Training Squadron 203 (VMAT-203), 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing. He was found during a barracks inspection at 3:10 p.m. and was pronounced dead by emergency medical treatment personnel about 10 minutes later.
read more here
Friday, April 16, 2010
$1 million raised at D.C. gala for families of fallen troops
$1 million raised at D.C. gala for families of fallen troops
By Jeff Schogol, Stars and Stripes
Online Edition, Wednesday, April 14, 2010
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A leading group dedicated to helping families of fallen servicemembers raised $1 million at its annual fundraising gala on Tuesday.
The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors has helped the families of more than 25,000 servicemembers who have died in the line of duty, in accidents or by suicide since 1994. The group provides a peer mentoring program, seminars for adults and a “good grief camp” for children on how to deal with grief, as well as casualty case management assistance for families on a variety of issues.
“We’ve trained over 2,000 peer and military volunteers to meet the mission of caring for all who are grieving the death of an American hero,” said group founder and chair Bonnie Carroll.
About 300 people attended Tuesday’s gala including 30 surviving family members, said TAPS spokeswoman Ami Neiberger-Miller
Kim Ruocco, whose husband Marine Corps Maj. John Ruocco committed suicide in 2005, said TAPS allowed her family to deal with their grief without shame or embarrassment.
read more here
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=69359
By Jeff Schogol, Stars and Stripes
Online Edition, Wednesday, April 14, 2010
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A leading group dedicated to helping families of fallen servicemembers raised $1 million at its annual fundraising gala on Tuesday.
The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors has helped the families of more than 25,000 servicemembers who have died in the line of duty, in accidents or by suicide since 1994. The group provides a peer mentoring program, seminars for adults and a “good grief camp” for children on how to deal with grief, as well as casualty case management assistance for families on a variety of issues.
“We’ve trained over 2,000 peer and military volunteers to meet the mission of caring for all who are grieving the death of an American hero,” said group founder and chair Bonnie Carroll.
About 300 people attended Tuesday’s gala including 30 surviving family members, said TAPS spokeswoman Ami Neiberger-Miller
Kim Ruocco, whose husband Marine Corps Maj. John Ruocco committed suicide in 2005, said TAPS allowed her family to deal with their grief without shame or embarrassment.
read more here
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=69359
Staff Sgt. Thomas H. Oakley, killed while helping others
Police: Soldier was helping motorists when hit, killed
By Dan Blottenberger, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Friday, April 16, 2010
BAMBERG, Germany — A 172nd Infantry Brigade soldier was struck and killed by a car on the autobahn Wednesday night, after he stopped to help some motorists who had an accident, Army officials said Thursday.
The 33-year-old soldier, whose name was not released because his next of kin have not been notified, was based in Schweinfurt, but lived in Bamberg, brigade spokesman Maj. Dan Welsh said.
German police said the incident took place near Bamberg at 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, when two cars crashed in the southbound, left lane on autobahn A73.
The soldier saw the accident, stopped his car and crossed the autobahn to offer help, a Bamberg police spokesman said.
read more here
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=69385
UPDATE
Army IDs soldier killed while trying to help at Bamberg accident scene
By Dan Blottenberger, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Saturday, April 17, 2010
Staff Sgt. Thomas H. Oakley, ammunition section chief, service battery, 1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment, based in Schweinfurt, Germany, died Wednesday night after being struck by a car while attempting to help motorists involved in an accident on A73 toward Nuremberg. BAMBERG, Germany — Army officials have identified a 172nd Infantry Brigade soldier who was struck and killed by a car Wednesday night near Bamberg after he stopped to help some motorists who had an accident.
Staff Sgt. Thomas H. Oakley, 33, of Wakefield, R.I., was driving home from work in Schweinfurt when he stopped to help the accident victims, according to police and military reports.
German police said the accident took place near Bamberg at 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, when two cars crashed in the southbound left lane on autobahn A73.
read more here
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=69395
By Dan Blottenberger, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Friday, April 16, 2010
BAMBERG, Germany — A 172nd Infantry Brigade soldier was struck and killed by a car on the autobahn Wednesday night, after he stopped to help some motorists who had an accident, Army officials said Thursday.
The 33-year-old soldier, whose name was not released because his next of kin have not been notified, was based in Schweinfurt, but lived in Bamberg, brigade spokesman Maj. Dan Welsh said.
German police said the incident took place near Bamberg at 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, when two cars crashed in the southbound, left lane on autobahn A73.
The soldier saw the accident, stopped his car and crossed the autobahn to offer help, a Bamberg police spokesman said.
read more here
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=69385
UPDATE
Army IDs soldier killed while trying to help at Bamberg accident scene
By Dan Blottenberger, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Saturday, April 17, 2010
Staff Sgt. Thomas H. Oakley, ammunition section chief, service battery, 1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment, based in Schweinfurt, Germany, died Wednesday night after being struck by a car while attempting to help motorists involved in an accident on A73 toward Nuremberg. BAMBERG, Germany — Army officials have identified a 172nd Infantry Brigade soldier who was struck and killed by a car Wednesday night near Bamberg after he stopped to help some motorists who had an accident.
Staff Sgt. Thomas H. Oakley, 33, of Wakefield, R.I., was driving home from work in Schweinfurt when he stopped to help the accident victims, according to police and military reports.
German police said the accident took place near Bamberg at 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, when two cars crashed in the southbound left lane on autobahn A73.
read more here
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=69395
Airman found dead at Incirlik Air Base
Airman found dead at Incirlik Air Base
Stars and Stripes
European edition, Saturday, April 17, 2010
An airman assigned to the 728th Air Mobility Squadron at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, was found dead on base Wednesday.
A memorial service for Staff Sgt. Robert Larson will be held at 4 p.m. Wednesday at the base chapel, according to a 39th Air Base Wing news release.
The Air Force Office of Special Investigations is investigating the death.
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=69403
Stars and Stripes
European edition, Saturday, April 17, 2010
An airman assigned to the 728th Air Mobility Squadron at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, was found dead on base Wednesday.
A memorial service for Staff Sgt. Robert Larson will be held at 4 p.m. Wednesday at the base chapel, according to a 39th Air Base Wing news release.
The Air Force Office of Special Investigations is investigating the death.
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=69403
Officials suspect body found at Bamberg is soldier
Officials suspect body found at Bamberg is soldier's
Stars and Stripes
European edition, Saturday, April 17, 2010
BAMBERG, Germany – A badly decomposed corpse that washed up in a river lock in Bamberg might be that of a U.S. soldier, U.S. military officials said.
Construction workers found the body this week in the Main-Danau canal adjacent to Galgenfuhr street on the outskirts of Bamberg. Reports did not disclose exactly when the body was found.
read more here
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=69402
Stars and Stripes
European edition, Saturday, April 17, 2010
BAMBERG, Germany – A badly decomposed corpse that washed up in a river lock in Bamberg might be that of a U.S. soldier, U.S. military officials said.
Construction workers found the body this week in the Main-Danau canal adjacent to Galgenfuhr street on the outskirts of Bamberg. Reports did not disclose exactly when the body was found.
read more here
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=69402
Vets should be marketed to employers
Experts: Vets should be marketed to employers
Natalie Bailey - Medill News Service
Posted : Friday Apr 16, 2010 15:16:00 EDT
In tough times, employers need little reason to turn a candidate away. For some, a link to the military is enough.
“Civilian employers are increasingly not hiring those in service,” retired Navy Reserve Capt. Marshall Hanson said at a Thursday hearing before the House Veterans Affairs subcommittee on economic opportunity.
Among the obstacles veterans face today, panelists said, are employers’ misconception of post-traumatic stress disorder, fear that a reservist will be deployed, and/or ignorance of how military job skills translate into the civilian world.
The military needs to translate its persuasive enlistment campaigns into the widespread marketing of veterans’ skills to employers, said Justin Brown, a legislative associate with Veterans of Foreign Wars.
read more here
Vets should be marketed to employers
Natalie Bailey - Medill News Service
Posted : Friday Apr 16, 2010 15:16:00 EDT
In tough times, employers need little reason to turn a candidate away. For some, a link to the military is enough.
“Civilian employers are increasingly not hiring those in service,” retired Navy Reserve Capt. Marshall Hanson said at a Thursday hearing before the House Veterans Affairs subcommittee on economic opportunity.
Among the obstacles veterans face today, panelists said, are employers’ misconception of post-traumatic stress disorder, fear that a reservist will be deployed, and/or ignorance of how military job skills translate into the civilian world.
The military needs to translate its persuasive enlistment campaigns into the widespread marketing of veterans’ skills to employers, said Justin Brown, a legislative associate with Veterans of Foreign Wars.
read more here
Vets should be marketed to employers
Army veteran wearing military fatigues kills himself at the VA
I still cry. Doesn't matter how many years I do this or how many posts I have to put up about one more suicide, it just never gets easier. Lives gone when there should have been no reason to end up feeling so hopeless they choose death over surviving as a veteran. When you think of what they survived in combat, what they managed to return from, to find they cannot survive back home, that is the loudest alarm bell humanly possible to sound, but too few hear it.
They face death all the time, but they survive. They are supposed to be able to survive living here after but too many can't. Their lives are supposed to be out of danger once back on American soil but too many times being back home is more dangerous to them than being in combat. They are supposed to be able to face their enemy and defeat them, or die trying but what happens when the enemy is inside of them and they have no help to defeat the enemy then? What happens when they are forced to fight alone? When they go for help but the help is not available or good enough to really help? What then? This is just one more result of the neglect they face in a system too overloaded to take care of all the wounded and programs that just don't work when they can get into them.
We can't save all of them but we should be a lot better at saving more after all these years of trying. So who's listening? Who's doing anything about this? We've been hearing since 2004 they are getting their act together but the veterans are still dying at their own hands. When will we get this right and stop letting it be more life threatening for them to come home than it is to be deployed into combat?
They face death all the time, but they survive. They are supposed to be able to survive living here after but too many can't. Their lives are supposed to be out of danger once back on American soil but too many times being back home is more dangerous to them than being in combat. They are supposed to be able to face their enemy and defeat them, or die trying but what happens when the enemy is inside of them and they have no help to defeat the enemy then? What happens when they are forced to fight alone? When they go for help but the help is not available or good enough to really help? What then? This is just one more result of the neglect they face in a system too overloaded to take care of all the wounded and programs that just don't work when they can get into them.
We can't save all of them but we should be a lot better at saving more after all these years of trying. So who's listening? Who's doing anything about this? We've been hearing since 2004 they are getting their act together but the veterans are still dying at their own hands. When will we get this right and stop letting it be more life threatening for them to come home than it is to be deployed into combat?
Photos courtesy of Thereasa Osborne of Elm City, N.C. Infantryman Jesse Huff hands out candy to a child during a patrol in Iraq in 2006.
Huff’s suicide caused many veterans seeking treatment there Friday to pause and ask questions. The veterans shook their heads or talked in small groups in the parking lot near where Huff’s body was found.
Former soldier kills self on steps of VA center
Iraq war veteran left no suicide note, police say
Jesse C. Huff ‘wasn’t the same when he came back’ from Iraq, a cousin says.
By Lucas Sullivan and Margo Rutledge Kissell
Staff Writers
Updated 11:25 PM Friday, April 16, 2010
DAYTON — Authorities might never completely determine why Jesse C. Huff dressed in Army fatigues, walked to the steps of the Dayton Veterans Affairs Department’s Medical Center and shot himself to death Friday morning.
Police said they found no suicide note and knew of no ominous statements he made to employees while inside the medical center hours before his death.
Huff’s cousin, Jason Osborne, 32, of Wilson, N.C., said Friday evening that he saw Huff two months ago while visiting his grandmother in Dayton.
“He was a really good guy. He just went through a lot after he got out of the Iraq war,” Osborne said in a phone interview. “It really affected him mentally. He wasn’t the same when he came back.”read more here
Iraq war veteran left no suicide note, police say
Staff photo Ron Alvey An assault rifle lies in front of the Dayton VA Medical Center, located at 4100 W. Third St. Police on the scene said the death is the result of a suicide. The deceased man, Jesse C. Huff, was 27 years old and had been seen in the medical center's emergency room prior to his body being found outside, according Donna Simmons, VA spokeswoman.
Did war vet kill self to make a statement?
Man had been in VA emergency room earlier in the morning.
By Lucas Sullivan and Margo Rutledge Kissell
Staff Writers
Updated 11:23 PM Friday, April 16, 2010
DAYTON — Jesse Charles Huff walked up to the Veterans Affairs Department’s Medical Center on Friday morning wearing U.S. Army fatigues and battling pain from his Iraq war wounds and a recent bout with depression.
The 27-year-old Dayton man had entered the center’s emergency room about 1 a.m. Friday and requested some sort of treatment. But Huff did not get that treatment, police said, and about 5:45 a.m. he reappeared at the center’s entrance, put a military-style rifle to his head and twice pulled the trigger.
Huff fell near the foot of a Civil War statue, his blood covering portions of the front steps.read more here
Did war vet kill self to make a statement
Army veteran wearing military fatigues kills himself at the VA
By Dan Sewell - The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Apr 16, 2010 14:01:09 EDT
DAYTON, Ohio — An Army veteran wearing military fatigues shot and killed himself Friday with an assault rifle on the steps of a Veterans Affairs medical center in Ohio where he had been a patient, authorities said.
Police found a rifle and a satchel near the body, which was on the steps of the Dayton VA center’s main entrance Friday morning. Bomb squad members detonated the satchel, but there was no immediate information on what was in the bag.
The Montgomery County coroner identified the man as 27-year-old Jesse Huff.
read more here
Former soldier kills self on steps of VA center
North Carolina Senator Richard Burr has long been hostile to veterans
There is fairness on this blog, since it is not a political blog, but a veteran friendly blog. If anyone has a story to tell about veterans, no matter what political side you are on, you can find it posted here if you want to. If Senator Burr can prove he's a friend to veterans, I would be more than happy to post it here.
North Carolina Senator Richard Burr has long been hostile to veterans – voting against us, more than with us. In his short time in the Senate, he’s voted against billions in funding for veterans care, against assured funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs, and even against a new GI Bill for vets. Do you want to replace him with a veteran? Now, you can!CLICK HERE TO HELP CAL CUNNINGHAM BEAT RICHARD BURR
Iraq veteran, Cal Cunningham, is challenging Burr this year, and he needs our help. Cal is just the kind of candidate we need to take on Burr, and bring leadership to the Senate.In the U.S. Senate, Cunningham has vowed to fight to improve health care and job training for veterans, to protect North Carolina's military communities and the bases that create thousands of jobs, and to strengthen North Carolina's public schools, community colleges, and universities so we can grow the new economy jobs that will power an American comeback.But before Cal can take on Burr, he needs your support to win the Democratic primary on May 4. That’s just 18 days away!
CLICK HERE TO HELP CAL CUNNINGHAM BECOME NORTH CAROLINA’S NEW SENATOR
Fed up with private corporations having their way in Washington? Cal stood up in Iraq to take on contractors and their abhorrent actions there. Cal served as a military prosecutor at the Multi-National Corps-Iraq. During his tour, he was government counsel on the first court-martial of a contractor under military law since 1968. In addition to the Bronze Star Medal, he received the General Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award for his leadership.If Cal wins, he would be the first veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to serve in the U.S. Senate.Let’s show Cal that we’re there for him. Take a moment give Cal the boost he needs to win before the May 4 primary. We can’t sit on the sidelines.
CLICK HERE TO HELP CAL CUNNINGHAM BEFORE THE MAY 4 PRIMARYThanks for all of your support.
Sincerely,Jon Soltz
Iraq War Veteran
Chairman, VoteVets.org
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)